... with the 3¢ UTR of target genes. Further-more, the 2–8 nucleotides of miRNA, known as the ‘seed region’, have been suggested to be the mostimportant region for target recognition [16]. Therefore,we ... confirmed the active role of miR-23a in the growth promotion of malignant cells. The fundamental function of miRNAs is to regulatetheir targets by direct cleavage of mRNA or by inhibi-tion of protein ... After incubation for 24, 48 and72 h, the cells were incubated with 20 lL of MTT (at afinal concentration of 0.5 mgÆmL)1)at37°C for 4 h. The medium was removed and the precipitated formazan wasdissolved...